With Dave Brandon gone, the writing is on the wall for Brady Hoke - and the search for Michigan's next head coach is already underway. We're profiling the top candidates for the job, and today we're taking a look at Detroit Lions DC Teryl Austin.
A former defensive back at the University of Pittsburgh, Austin's coaching career began four years after graduation at Pittsburgh rival Penn State. Austin spent two seasons with the Nittany Lions before following fellow PSU assistant Jim Caldwell when Caldwell was hired by Wake Forest in 1993. Austin departed Wake for Syracuse in '96, but it wouldn't be his last time working with Caldwell.
In 1999, Austin was hired to join Lloyd Carr's staff at Michigan as a defensive assistant. In Austin's four seasons with the Wolverines, the team won three bowl games and a Big 10 Championship. Austin caught the attention of some NFL staffs while at Michigan, and in 2003 he joined the Seattle Seahawks as a secondary coach.
Austin finally got the chance to run his own defense when Urban Meyer brought him to Florida as DC in 2010, but it lasted just one season when Meyer resigned after the year and most of his staff was let go. John Harbaugh brought Austin to the Ravens as a secondary coach, and Austin once again excelled. In January 2014, Austin's former Penn State/Wake Forest colleague Jim Caldwell brought him to Detroit as defensive coordinator, and ten weeks into Austin's debut season as an NFL DC, the Lions have the NFL's best overall defense in points and yards allowed.
While Austin's stock is rising fast in coaching circles, he likely won't be a serious candidate for the Michigan job this time around. Michigan's decision-makers are said to favor an option with extensive head coaching experience, and despite Austin's many years on the NFL and college sidelines, he's never had a head coaching job.
Austin's Michigan and Big 10 ties make him a very interesting name to watch in the long-term, though. The success of Detroit's defense is turning heads in both the college and pro ranks, and if they can sustain this kind of form, it won't be long before someone gives Austin a shot as their #1. Former boss Lloyd Carr has been highly supportive of Austin in the past, and if Carr continues to be involved in Michigan coaching searches, you can bet he'll give his former assistant a great recommendation.
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